Mary Poppins (musical)
Mary Poppins is a Walt Disney Theatrical musical based on the similarly titled series of children's books by P. L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film. The West End production opened in December 2004 and received two Olivier Awards, one for Best Actress in a Musical and the other for Best Theatre Choreography. The musical features the film's music and lyrics by the Academy Award winning Sherman Brothers, along with additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The musical was written by Julian Fellowes. The musical was directed by Richard Eyre and co-directed by Matthew Bourne, who also acted as co-choreographer with Stephen Mear. A Broadway production with a near-identical creative team opened in November 2006, with only minor changes from the West End version. It received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, winning for Best Scenic Design. The stage musical is a fusion of various elements from the film and the books. Some elements from the Mary Poppins series of children's books that had been omitted from the film were restored, such as the walking statue and the ladders rising to the stars, while the scenes were removed, such as the scene in which Uncle Albert gets caught on the ceiling, laughing. Development In 1993, theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh met Pamela Travers and acquired the rights to develop a stage play adaptation of her Mary Poppins books. In 2001, Mackintosh and the head of Disney Theatrical Thomas Schumacher opened talks on a possible collaboration, so that the stage play would be able to use the songs from the Disney film. With both sides committed, a preliminary outline of the show was written in 2002. Around this time songwriters George Stiles and Anthony Drewe heard about the project, and independently wrote a demo version of a new introductory song for the character of Mary, titled "Practically Perfect". They submitted the song to Mackintosh, and due to his positive response, were officially brought on to the creative team. Julian Fellowes was brought on to write the show's script because of his "clear understanding of the social niceties of the English class system that prevailed in the Edwardian era". A workshop of the show was held at the end of 2003 at the rehearsal room at London's Old Vic Theatre, using the cast of My Fair Lady, which had just closed in the West End. After four weeks of rehearsals at Sadler's Wells, the production moved to Bristol, where an out-of-town tryout opened at the Bristol Hippodrome on September 15, 2004. Productions Original West End productions Cameron Mackintosh's stage adaptation of Mary Poppins had its world premiere at the Bristol Hippodrome starting with previews from September 15, 2004, before officially opening on September 18 for a limited engagement until November 6. The production then moved to the Prince Edward Theatre on December 15, 2004. The role of Mary was played by Laura Michelle Kelly, who subsequently won the 2005 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the role, and the role of Bert was played by Gavin Lee. Notable replacements have included Scarlett Strallen and Lisa O'Hare as Mary Poppins and Gavin Creel as Bert. Prince Edward Theatre 2005 The show sparked mild controversy not long after its debut when producers Cameron MacKintosh and Thomas Schumacher banned children below 3 years old from entering the theatre, deeming the show too scary for young children. The ban remained throughout the show's entire run, during which the theatre staff were to prevent patrons with children below 3 to enter. The show was officially tagged as being "for children seven years and up". On March 17, 2005, Julie Andrews, who played Mary Poppins in the film, visited the show as a guest. She appeared onstage during the curtain calls, where she gave a speech recalling her own memories from making the film and praising the cast for their new interpretation. The production closed on January 12, 2008, after a run of more than three years. Original Broadway production Following the success of the West End production, a Broadway production debuted on November 16, 2006 at the New Amsterdam Theatre after previews from October 14. Broadway performer Ashley Brown was brought on board to play the title role, and Gavin Lee, who had originated the role of Bert in the West End production, reprised his role in the Broadway production. The rest of the original cast included Daniel H. Jenkins as George Banks, Rebecca Luker as Winifred Banks, Katherine Doherty, Kathryn Faughnan, Delaney Moro as Jane Banks, Matthew Gumley, Alexander Scheitinger, and Henry Hodges as Michael Banks. Starting on 9 October 2008, the role of Mary was played by Scarlett Strallen and Bert was played by Adam Fiorentino. Laura Michelle Kelly, who originated the role of Mary in London, officially took over the role on Broadway on October 12, 2009. Tony Award nominee Christian Borle joined the cast the same day as Bert.Nicolas Dromard replaced Borle on July 16, 2010, on a limited engagement through August 22, 2010. Gavin Lee returned the role of Bert on August 24, 2010 and was reunited with former London co-star Laura Michelle Kelly. Ashley Brown returned to the role of Mary Poppins in the Broadway production from March 8, 2011 to July 17, 2011 while Laura Michelle Kelly was away filming a movie. Kelly returned to role on July 19, 2011 and was later replaced by Steffanie Leigh. The Broadway production differed from the London production in that the "Jolly Holiday" sequence was staged in full technicolour instead of the gray tones of the London show, and in "Anything Can Happen" the stairs to the heavens were replaced by a large version of Mary Poppins' umbrella entering from the stage floor. These changes were later transferred back to the West End production. Most recently, a new song has been added to the score, entitled "Playing the Game". This replaces the already new "Temper, Temper" in the first act. This change has been added to all current and future productions of the show. The Broadway version received mixed reviews ranging from enthusiastic to mediocre. Many critics praised the show for its technical merits. Despite the mixed reviews, the show has been regularly performing well at the box office since its opening. After running for 52 weeks, the show recouped all its original investment. On July 16, 2011, the Broadway production surpassed Pippin to become the 30th longest running show in Broadway history. On March 3, 2013 "Mary Poppins" played its final performance due to ticket sales going down and to make room for "Aladdin". Maya Jade Frank was the final actress to play Jane. Ashley Brown reprised her role as Mary Poppins one last time. Original Australian production The first Australian production began previews at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne on the 14 July 2010. The show officially opened on the 29 July. The cast included Australian theatre icons Marina Prior as Mrs Banks, Debra Byrne as The Bird Woman, Philip Quast as Mr Banks, Judi Connelli as Miss Andrew, Matt Lee as Bert, Sally Anne Upton as Mrs Brill, and Christopher Rickerby as Robertson Ay. Hunt-Ballard was awarded the role of Mary Poppins late in the casting stage, after a long and exhaustive search. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury at the end of the Brisbane run prevented her with continuing with the Australian tour. West End star and former Mary Poppins actress Lisa O'Hare was called in to reprise the role for the Perth run. An Australian Cast Recording was released on February 18, 2011. † Scarlet Strallen temporarily took over the role of Mary Poppins in Sydney, from October 2011 to November 2011. ‡ Former Broadway star Rachel Wallace reprised her role of Mary Poppins in the New Zealand touring production. It is also notable that all eight Banks children in the NZ run have had prior professional musical roles, either in Mary Poppins (Australian tour), Annie or Love Never Dies. The Melbourne production closed on April 1, 2011. It was also confirmed that the musical would play in Sydney at the Capitol Theatre starting in April 2011 concluding its run mid December 2011. The musical then went on an Australian tour, playing at the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane until March 2012 and the Burswood Theatre, Perth until June 2012. After a four month break, the production will open at the Civic Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand. The season is expected to start on 18 October, running for 10 weeks. Ticket bookings start from June 21. An extension to the season due to a sell out run means the show will now be running until December 30th 2012. A return to Melbourne afterwards is being considered. National tours For the touring productions of the show, scenic designer Bob Crowley changed the sets, making the Banks' Household smaller in size, and deleting numerous intermediate scenes, so that smaller theatres could accommodate the large-scale demands of the production. A U.K. tour of the London production commenced on June 4, 2008 and ended on April 18, 2009, with stops at venues including the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, Edinburgh Playhouse, and the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. The original cast featured Caroline Sheen as Mary Poppins, Daniel Crossley as Bert, Martin Ball as George Banks and Louise Bowden as Winifred Banks.Caroline Sheen performed the role of Mary Poppins from June 4 to October 25, 2008 in Plymouth, Birmingham, and Edinburgh. Lisa O'Hare took over the role of Mary Poppins on October 27, 2008 and performed in Edinburgh, Manchester, and Cardiff, where the tour concluded. A U.S. tour began previews on March 11, 2009 with opening night on March 25, featuring Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee reprising their roles as Mary Poppins and Bert respectively. The tour started at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, and is scheduled to play in many US cities. On November 15, 2009 during opening night in Los Angeles Dick Van Dyke (who played Bert in the film) appeared during the encore onstage and praised Lee’s performance in the role. On Jan. 22, 2010 to raise funds for a local charity and as part of a D23 event, Van Dyke did a cameo of his other role from the original film of Mr. Dawes Sr. The song "Temper, Temper" was cut from this production and replaced with a new musical number called "Playing the Game." The song also replaced "Temper, Temper" in the Broadway production beginning October 12, 2009. Caroline Sheen took over the role of Mary from Brown in February 2010 in Tempe, Arizona and will play the role until February 2011. Dominic Roberts, who was an original Broadway and Tour cast member, took over the role of Bert from Gavin Lee August 17, 2010 for a limited engagement. Nicolas Dromard, who previously understudied the role of Bert on Broadway, took over the role from Dominic Roberts on September 10, 2010 and will play the role until September 2011. Steffanie Leigh joined the cast as Mary Poppins on February 8, 2011 and is soon replaced on December 6, 2011, in Toronto, by Megan Osterhaus who assumed the role of Mary Poppins after playing Winifred Banks on Broadway. Osterhaus was then replaced by Rachel Wallace and she went back to New York to resume the role of Mrs. Banks. International productions The first foreign-language production opened on October 18, 2008 in Göteborg, Sweden at the Göteborgs Operan. This production is externally licensed by Disney Theatrical to Josef Weinberger Limited, and performed entirely in Swedish, with the book translated by Magnus Lindman. The musical director was Björn Dobbelaere, with actors Linda Olsson as Mary and Magnus Borén as Bert. This production closed on March 14, 2009. Another foreign-language production will open in the Fortis Circus Theater in The Hague (Scheveningen), in April 2010, presented by Disney Theatrical directly. Noortje Herlaar is Mary Poppins and William Spaaij is Bert.The actress who plays the role of Mary Poppins was found in a TV-show: Op zoek naar Mary Poppins (Searching for Mary Poppins) The Finnish production opened at the Helsinki City Theatre on August 11, 2009 and will run until May 8, 2010. The Danish production opened in Copenhagen, Denmark at the Det Ny Teater on February 18, 2010.The role of Mary is played by Charlotte Guldberg and the role of Bert is played by Kristian Studsgaard. The Hungarian production opened in Budapest, Hungary in September 2009. A Czech production opened in Brno, Czech Republic in November 2010. The Estonian production opened at the Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu in November 2011 with performances also in Tallinn. The original cast had well-known Estonian musical actresses Hanna-Liina Võsa and Nele-Liis Vaiksoo as Mary in it. The first Spanish version of the show opened in November 14, 2012 in Mexico City, co-produced by Ocesa Teatro, starring Bianca Marroquin in the role of Mary Poppins, Mauricio Salas as Bert, Paco Morales as George Banks, Catalina Farias as Winifred Banks, Alma Cristal as Mrs. Brill, Andrés Sáez as Robertson Ay, Daniela Meneses, Arely Mayer, and Aminta Ireta (alternating) as Jane Banks, and Sebastian Gallegos, Oscar Aguilar, and Osmani Castillo (alternating) as Michael Banks. Subsequent US productions ;Maine (2013) The first professional regional production will take place at Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick, Maine August 7 - 24, 2013. No casting has been announced at this time. ;Wichita (2013) A professional regional production will take place at the Music Theatre of Wichita in Wichita, Kansas from August 9 - 18, 2013 in result of a collaboration between Cameron Mackintosh and Music Theatre of Wichita. No casting has been announced at this time. ;St. Louis (2013) Another professional regional production will take place at the Muny in St. Louis, Missouri in the summer of 2013. No casting has been announced at this time. Synopsis Act I Bert, a man of many professions, introduces the audience to Cherry Tree Lane ("Chim Chim Cher-ee/Cherry Tree Lane- Part 1"). Number 17 is where the Banks family lives in London, England. George and Winifred Banks, their two naughty children Jane and Michael, their cook, Mrs. Brill and their odd-job man, Robertson Ay are having a tough time. Things are not going well, for Jane and Michael are out of control and as the show starts, their latest nanny, Katie Nanna, storms out. After that, Mrs. Brill and Robertson Ay complain about living in a "madhouse." The children decide to write the advertisement for a new nanny ("The Perfect Nanny"), but George Banks has a very different idea of what constitutes the perfect nanny and he tears up the piece of paper and throws it in the fireplace. Within moments Mary Poppins arrives and takes charge of the Banks children, having every confidence in her own qualifications and merits ("Practically Perfect"). On the children's first outing to the park, they meet Bert and, despite their reservations about his ragged clothes and dirty face, Mary teaches them that they must learn to look past appearances. To illustrate the point, Mary brings the park statues, including a mythological figure named Neleus, to life ("Jolly Holiday"). While Mary manages the children, other problems lie with their parents. Winifred Banks is aware that she is somehow disappointing both her children and her husband ("Being Mrs Banks"). George Banks, on the other hand, can't understand why she finds the role of wife and mother so difficult ("Cherry Tree Lane (reprise)"). In an effort to please her husband, Winifred sends out invitations for a smart tea party. Mrs. Brill makes the preparations, while telling an eager Robertson Ay to keep his hands off. The children inadvertently sabotage the kitchen preparations, but Mary Poppins sorts it out with a lesson ("A Spoonful of Sugar"). However, it is then revealed that none of the invitees are coming. Mary takes the children to visit their father at the bank where he works ("Precision and Order"). There George is busy dealing with possible investment clients: first an ambitious man named Von Hussler who has an elaborate money making scheme, and then a middle class man named Northbrook who has a simple factory project. George is furious when Mary turns up with the children, but an innocent question asked by Jane (What's more important, a good man or a good idea?) makes him realise how much his values have changed ("A Man Has Dreams") since he was an idealistic young man. He then decides to accept Northbrook's project, and rejects Von Hussler's, but unfortunately things take a turn for the worse afterwards. Outside St. Paul's Cathedral, Mary introduces the children to the Bird Woman and teaches them that it's what's on the inside that counts not the outside ("Feed the Birds"). Jane is suspicious of her, but Michael responds to the Bird Woman and throws crumbs for the birds. On the trip home, the children meet the enigmatic Mrs. Corry who runs a magic sweet shop that also sells words ("Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"). The children return home in high spirits, unaware that things have gone wrong for their father. Unknown to them, George's decision to reject Von Hussler has cost the bank dearly, and he is suspended without pay. George explodes with rage at the children and they are sent to the nursery. Reacting to her father's outburst, Jane flies into a fury, ignoring Mary Poppins' words of warning about controlling her temper, and also has a fight with Michael over a doll. The frightening consequence of her anger becomes apparent as Jane and Michael's toys come to life and join Mary in teaching them a lesson in how to take better care of their belongings and toys ("Playing the Game"). Realising that Jane and Michael still have a lot to learn, Mary decides to leave Cherry Tree Lane ("Chim Chim Cher-ee - Rooftop Duet"), to bring them to their senses. Her distraught charges find a note saying that perhaps they will see Mary Poppins again eventually. Act II Unfortunately, in a misguided attempt to please her husband, Mrs Banks arranges for his childhood nanny, Miss Andrew, to take over from the suddenly departed Mary ("Cherry Tree Lane (Reprise)"). At the very sight of her, a terrified Mr. Banks flees, exclaiming "the Holy Terror!" To everyone's shock and dismay, Miss Andrew is a brutal and cruel tyrant, rejecting any notion of a "spoonful of sugar" in favour of her own terrible elixir ("Brimstone and Treacle Part 1"). Terrified of their new nanny, the children run away to the park and find their good friend Bert, who cheers them up and helps Michael fulfil his dream of flying a kite ("Let's Go Fly a Kite"). This marks the return of Mary Poppins. Jane and Michael are thrilled to be reunited with her, and then quickly tell her of the changes that have gone on at Number 17. Mary and Bert take the children home. Also hiding in the park is George, who is depressed over his supposed lack of achievements ("Good For Nothing"). Searching for him is Winifred, who at last understands her husband and the damage that was done to him by Miss Andrew ("Being Mrs Banks (Reprise)"). When the children return to Number 17, Mary sets Caruso, Miss Andrew's lark, free from his cage. This leads to confrontation between the two nannies, ending with Miss Andrew having a taste of her own medicine as she is put in a large birdcage and vanishes("Brimstone and Treacle Part 2"). Winifred and then George return at this point, surprised but pleased that Miss Andrew has left. On their next adventure, Bert introduces the children to his friends the chimney sweeps ("Step in Time"). The sweeps' dance eventually enters the house, causing chaos. As the sweeps quickly exit, George receives a telegram from the bank requesting his presence there. George assumes that it is to seal his fate, and decides it's time to sell the family heirloom. However, the vase is shattered accidentally by Mrs. Brill, who goes into a despairing shock since she had been cleaning it from the top of the shelf. When she is being led away for comfort, George goes to clean the broken pile himself, to find it reveal a collection of gingerbread stars from his childhood. This leads to a brief moment of reflection for George ("A Man Has Dreams/ A Spoonful of Sugar (Reprise)"). After shaking hands with Bert, George leaves to meet the Chairman of the Bank. At the children's encouragement, Winifred decides to follow her heart and be at George's side at the bank ("Anything Can Happen"). Unseen to anyone else, Mary takes Jane and Michael to follow, where they watch the unfolding events. At the bank, George is shocked to learn the truth about his choice: far from ruining the bank, he has made a fortune. They ask for the word that made them so successful, which George admits to be Mary Poppins' word, ("Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"). Winifred, arriving to defend her husband, finds instead he is the hero of the hour. After she mentions Miss Andrew's name to the Bank Manager, the old man too exclaims "the Holy Terror," which hints that he too might have suffered under the wicked nanny. George apologizes for underestimating her, and together they return to the house ("Anything Can Happen (Reprise)"). Mary realizes that with the family reunited and happy, her task is done. With regret she says goodbye to Bert with a kiss, and sets off ("A Spoonful of Sugar (Farewell Reprise)"). Jane and Michael accept that Mary is leaving them and they tell Mary Poppins that they'll never forget her. The two children watch as their parents waltz happily together and Mary flies high above the audience, disappearing in a flash. Differences from the film The stage musical is not a direct adaptation of the Disney film, but features elements of both the film and the original books. The dancing penguins in the "Jolly Holiday" sequence and the tea party on the ceiling at Uncle Albert's from the film have been removed altogether (although a sharp-eyed audience member may catch a quick cameo appearance). In their place are dancing statues and a visit to Mrs. Corry's shop, both taken from the books. The musical places more emphasis on Jane and Michael being naughty and their parents being dysfunctional. Jane and Michael are constantly answering back and fighting, necessitating a sequence where Mary (it is implied) causes the toys in their nursery to come to life and berate them via the song "Temper Temper" (changed to "Playing the Game" in later productions). George Banks has been expanded from the film: in the musical it is revealed that he had a difficult childhood in which he was ignored by his parents (Jane and Michael's paternal grandparents) and was placed under the care of a fearsome nanny. This nanny, Miss Andrew, makes an appearance in the musical as the polar opposite of Mary Poppins, advocating "brimstone and treacle" instead of "a spoonful of sugar". Winifred Banks is no longer the suffragette of the film, but a former actress who is struggling to fulfil her husband's expectations of her. The run on the bank caused by Michael is cut, and George Banks is not fired from his job. A number of musical sequences have been modified from their purpose in the film. These are: *"A Spoonful of Sugar" - Originally sung when Mary first arrives at the Banks home; has been moved to a completely new sequence later in the show where the children destroy the Banks kitchen and Mary helps them fix it. It is also referred to in "Brimstone and Treacle Part 2" and featured briefly as a reprise at the finale. *"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" - Originally sung during the park outing; has been moved to Mrs. Corry's sweet shop outing. It is also sung when George goes to his workplace (during the Anything Can Happen sequence) and during the curtain call. The song itself is also distinctly different, as the word is spelled, both vocally and physically. *"Feed the Birds" - Originally sung by Mary before the Banks children visit their father's workplace; has been moved to after the visit and is now sung as a duet between Mary and the Birdwoman. *"Let's Go Fly a Kite" - Originally sung as the finale by the Banks family at the end of the film; has been moved to near the beginning of Act 2, where it is sung by Bert and the Banks children. Songs ORIGINAL LONDON CAST - "JANES & MICHAELS". Left to right (FRONT): Poppy Lee Friar, Jack Montgomery, Perry Millward, Harry Stott, Ben Watton, Jake Catterall, Nicola Bowman. Left to right (BACK): Charlotte Spencer, Faye Spittlehouse, Carrie Fletcher, with songwriter Robert B. Sherman. (Photo Date: 19 July 2004)*Not included in the Original London Cast recording. ^"Playing the Game" replaced "Temper, Temper" in 2009. ;Deleted Songs (from the film) Songs that were in the original movie but omitted from the musical are: *Sister Suffragette (replaced by Being Mrs. Banks and its reprise) *The Life I Lead (replaced by the thematically similar Precision and Order) *Stay Awake *I Love to Laugh *Fidelity Fiduciary Bank A deleted song for Mrs. Banks was called "What I Can Do," according to an interview with George Stiles and Richard Sherman. It was thought to be a sort of 1920s-style number, so they later wrote "Being Mrs. Banks" instead. Recordings The original London cast recording of the show was released shortly after its West End premiere. It features most of the major musical numbers from the show's score. When the Broadway production opened, a recording was released featuring several songs with the original American cast, including an edited version of "Feed the Birds" for Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins in the original American cast) on the song. On 18 February 2011, the Australian cast recording was released; the first recording to include the changes made to the show's score since its first London production. Awards and nominations Original London production Original Broadway production External Links * Mary Poppins at Internet Broadway Database * Mary Poppins * Mary Poppins at Facebook * Maya Jade Frank * Ashley Brown Gallery Mary Poppins Snowglobe.jpeg Mary Poppins The Broadway Musical -Mary Poppins Doll - 12.jpeg Mary Poppins The Broadway Musical - Carpet Bag Mini Purse.jpg Mary Poppins The Broadway Musical - Parrot Head Umbrella for Adults.jpg Mary Poppins The Broadway Musical Carpet Bag Ornament.jpg Mary Poppins The Broadway Musical Keychain and Magnet Set.jpg Mary Poppins The Broadway Musical Parrot Umbrella and Carpet Bag Set for Kids.jpg Mary Poppins The Broadway Musical Tee for Adults.jpg Category:Mary Poppins Category:Musicals Category:Disney Theatrical shows